The first balloons were small flying lanterns, toy balloons have been around since the 14th century, and inflatable objects were frequently used – often with disastrous effects – when man first tried to fly.

They have lost none of their appeal and, whether used as giant branded spheres or customised helium shapes, they can add colour and character to your exhibition stand.

Banners

It may well be the case that the “star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave”.

But it’s fair to say that a portable banner stand tends to lack impact within most exhibition halls.

Probably best to consider it as an entry-level solution or for temporary promotional purposes.

Beer

If Carlsberg did exhibitions, they would probably be floating on beer.

However, before you start pulling the pints, you should check with the event organisers as a number of restrictions and regulations restrict the flow of free beer and other alcoholic beverages.

The term benchmark originates from the chiselled horizontal marks that surveyors made in stone structures. An angle-iron could be placed into it to form a "bench" for a levelling rod, thus ensuring that another rod could be accurately repositioned in the same place in the future.

In the context of your exhibition display activity, benchmarking should be used as part of the preparation to measure ROI and analyse performance.

Items that can be benchmarked include the number of visitors, quantity of leads, and sales figures from previous events.

Bespoke Stands

Can you imagine if everyone attending a show turned up wearing the same outfit with little to differentiate one from another?

Similar blandness is suffered if your stand lacks individual style.

A bespoke exhibition stand allows you to literally stand out from the crowd and makes the kind of impact that’s required to attract the best quality and quantity of visitors.

It also provides you with the best opportunity to display your products and key messages in a unique way.

Beverages

We drink 165 million cups of tea in the UK every day. That’s more than 42 million pints or the equivalent of eight Olympic-sized swimming pools filled with tea.

Hospitality and networking facilities are increasingly important aspects of exhibition stands and you should plan to offer your visitors tea, coffee, and soft drinks.

Business Cards

In China, you should hold it in both hands. In India, use your right hand. In Japan, give with two but receive with one. In the UK, do whatever feels right.

The traditional business card – and its digitised variations – has lost none of its value at exhibitions. However, it’s about quality and not quantity.

And, before a show, you should have an agreed method across your team of matching business cards to notes about any conversation with the subject.

That can be as simple as writing notes on the card itself or stapling the card to a questionnaire sheet.

More sophisticated methods include using a mobile phone app to scan the card and add it to electronic notes.